Snapchat announced some new, high-impact ad options as it looks to drive more ad investment and capitalize on its engaged audience.
First, Snapchat announced Total Snap Takeovers, which will ensure that an advertiser shows up in the first ad spot in each tab in the app.
That will give brands maximum presence, which could be great for boosting brand awareness on special events such as launch day.
As per Snap: “This builds on what already makes Snapchat uniquely powerful. Campaigns on Snapchat are proven to generate more memorable impressions and stronger unaided and aided ad recall versus other platforms.”
Having the capacity to boost exposure in more elements of the app will lean into this, though it could also lead to promotional fatigue, depending on the brand, product or promotion.
Maybe overkill or maybe just what brands want, depending on specifics.
Snapchat is also developing a new promotional option called Offers, which will integrate promotions directly into Snap Ads.
So now, brands will be able to create Snapchat-specific promotional deals, highlighted within the app itself. Snap said this could help retailers and brands shorten the path from engagement to transaction.
In addition, Snapchat announced updates to its Dynamic Product Ads, including new formats such as Multi-Segment DPA. This company is also testing Vertical Carousel Ads and Product-Level Video Ads in an effort to expand its promotional options.
As per Snapchat: “DPA is already proving to deliver impactful results for commerce brands. WOLFpak, a North America retail fashion and apparel brand, leveraged Dynamic Product Ads to drive lower-funnel performance, delivering 90% higher return on ad spend compared to non-DPA campaigns.”
These new ad options provide additional ways to tap into Snapchat’s audience reach and engagement. They will also maximize exposure to the app’s primarily young audience.
And Snapchat needs to find ways to lure more brands to spend more money on promotions.
Snapchat’s growth has stalled in its key markets, so the company can’t rely on audience expansion alone to drive opportunities. As such, Snap needs to provide additional ways to boost brand messaging to its existing users. These options build on the current ad tools without going too far and making ads too overwhelming.
Though maybe Total Snap Takeovers are verging on that precipice. That seems like a risky bet, but maybe Snap users will be okay with this, in the same way they’ve seemingly been okay with the app’s Sponsored Snaps inbox ads.
